148 
39 & 40 Vict. Cap. 45, ss. 1—3. 
39 & 40 VICT. Cap. 45. 
An Act to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to 
Industrial and Provident Societies. 
[11 til August, 1876.] 
Whereas it is expedient to consolidate and amend the 
law relating to industrial and provident societies, and to 
assimilate the same in certain respects to the law relating 
to friendly societies (a) : 
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by 
and with, the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual 
and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament 
assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows : 
1. Short title of Act.—This Act may be cited as The 
Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1876. 
2. Extent of Act.—This Act shall extend to Great Britain, 
and Ireland, and the Channel Islands. 
3. Definitions.—In this Act, if not inconsistent with the 
context, the following terms shall have the meanings here 
inafter respectively assigned to them : 
“ The Treasury ” shall mean the Lords Commissioners of 
Her Majesty’s Treasury : 
(a) Co-operative societies were at first registered as friendly 
societies under the frugal investment clause of the Act of 1846 
(see Introduction, ante). In 1852 the "first Industrial and Pro 
vident Societies Act was passed. The societies registered under 
it however, were still made subject to several provisions of the 
Friendly Societies Acts. The Act of 1852 (15 & 16 Vict. c. 31) 
was amended in 1854 by 17 & 18 Vict. c. 25, and in 1856 by 
19 & 20 Vict. c. 40. These Acts were consolidated and amended 
in 1862 by 25 & 26 Vict. c. 87, and further amended 
in 1867 by 30 & 31 Vict. c. 117, both which Acts have for short 
title “The Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1867.” 
They created the societies corporate bodies, and showed a grow 
ing tendency to assimilate the legislation regarding them rather